In Vino Veritas
by madcrafter72
Summary: Post-ep AU for The Limey, written for a prompt from Lou @inkycoffee on Twitter. I hope i did the prompt justice. The actual prompt is at the end, because reasons.


**In Vino Veritas**

Post-ep AU for The Limey, written for a prompt from Lou inkycoffee on Twitter. The actual prompt is at the end, because reasons.

I«Что у трезвого на уме, то у пьяного на языке»

What a sober man has in his mind, the drunk one has on his tongue

-Russian proverb

Drinks with Colin Hunt had been a mistake.

If Kate had stopped to think for even a minute before she dialled the brit's number, she would have recognised that before she landed herself in this position. But she was so upset and angry after Castle's comments about "fun and uncomplicated" that she didn't even hesitate to accept Hunt's invitation, calling him before he had even made it out of the precinct.

She could be fun and uncomplicated, just not with the man she really wanted to be with. Who was she kidding – she was neither of those things, never had been. Perhaps before her mother was murdered and she had launched herself into her crusade for justice, but certainly not in the last twelve years. And she thought that Castle had come to appreciate that part of her – he called her Extraordinary, and that was not a term often applied to fun and uncomplicated bottle blonde bimbo flight attendants. Kate mentally slapped herself for that piece of bitter jealous vitriol, and tried to pay attention to what Hunt was saying.

Hunt had been charming, smiling at her, looking into her eyes, and paying for all their drinks, along with encouragement to work their way through the cocktail list. His accent was delicious, and she had certainly seen that he had all the right assets in abundance when they arrested him in his hotel room. Each time he returned from the bar with another round of drinks, he also sat closer to her, so now their thighs were touching, and his hand was inching towards hers on the scarred timber table of the booth they had moved to when the bartender started up Karaoke next to their stools. A part of Kate wanted to let this happen, to work out her frustration with Castle with a willing body, but her heart was certainly not in it. Although they were not together, and judging by Castle's attitude they never would be, she thought it would be cheating. And really, she wasn't desperate for physical release so much as an emotional connection, and that she certainly did not want with her current companion. So she kept draining the drinks he brought her, pacing him glass for glass so far, and listening to stories about Naomi.

After the fifth round – or was it the sixth – she needed to put an end to the invasion of her personal space, so she excused herself to the ladies room. Hunt rose to allow her out of the booth, and offered to get another round, but she declined and asked for just water. The drinking was also enough, both because of what she had been through with her father, but also because the mix of drinks she had consumed in a short period of time had her slightly unsteady on her feet. She could normally hold her own in any drinking contest, but that was with only one type of alcohol, and they had pretty much sampled the whole top shelf already tonight.

In the bathroom she splashed water on her face with hopes it would clear her head somewhat, but she still felt the dizziness from being tipsy as she returned to the booth. Hunt was still at the bar, so she took her phone out of her pocket and called up her #1 speed dial. She wondered what Castle was doing right now. Was he still out with the stewardess, enjoying dinner or dancing at some club, or had he taken her home to entertain her in private? God, that thought was so painful she almost choked out a sob, as she ran her finger down the side of his face in the contact photo. Then she jerked as Colin put 2 bottles of water onto the table and dropped onto the seat next to her, thankfully not as close as he had been.

"Someone special?" Colin asked, noticing her attention to the phone, but he obviously realised just whose photo it was, because after an indrawn breath, he said "Is that the writer?"

Kate was mortified. She jammed the phone into her back pocket and took the water bottle, draining half of it to give her time to regain her composure. Then she decided she didn't need to be embarrassed, this guy was leaving on a plane soon and she need never see him again.

"Yeah. He used to be my partner." She hoped that was brief enough to end the topic, but Hunt seemed to be as curious as Castle sometimes could be. Castle had really ruined every other man for her, she was comparing them to him, and of course finding them wanting.

"Used to be? But he's not a cop. And he was sort of helping with this case, when he wasn't taking long lunches with his girlfriend." Kate snorted at that. Hunt stared at her for a little while, obviously trying to figure out what was going on, but her legendary poker face was back on, and so Hunt had to probe further if he wanted to get answers.

"OK, Kate, I know you didn't accept drinks with me as your first choice, I saw the way you looked at him when you first turned me down. So do you want to tell me what's really going on?"

"No." It was so quiet that Colin had to strain to hear it, but the shake of her head disturbed the curtain of her hair around her face enough that he could see the movement.

"Sometimes it's good to talk to a stranger, you know, one who has no vested interest in either party. And while yes, I do find you attractive and would happily spend the evening with you in private, I can see that you are not really here with me. You have listened to me mourn Naomi, now let me lend you my ear for a while." In a blink, Hunt had gone from would-be suitor to big brother, and Kate was grateful for the change. She hesitated for another minute, then decided she had nothing to lose. She had previously bared her soul to Lanie, but her best girlfriend had been ringside for the last 4 years of her dance with Castle, so was not necessarily unbiased.

"He shadows me for his books. He based the character of Nikki Heat on me. When he first started, almost 4 years ago now, I was irritated. He was a complete jackass, this millionaire playboy writer who obviously just wanted to get into my pants. I turned him down, of course, I was not going to become just another notch on his bed post. But then as he continued to follow me, I started to see another side to him – the loving father, the supportive son, the caring friend. He spent $100,000 for a chance to catch the man who killed my mother. He arranged and hosted a gala fundraiser for an Education Fund for young lawyers in my mother's name. He has risked his life right alongside mine more times than I care to admit. And somewhere along the way, he wormed his way into my heart, despite me trying to push him away with harsh words, and dating other men. And then in May last year I was shot."

"What?" It was the first sound that Hunt had made, the shock on his face clear to see when she lifted her head to look at him. For a moment she had forgotten he was there, lost in her memories, and she realised that as he had been mourning Naomi by talking about his experiences with her, so Kate was mourning what would never be by reliving her experiences with Castle.

"Yeah. You probably think I am over it, judging by what you have seen of me, but I am still struggling. You are probably the first person outside my therapist I have been able to talk to openly about it. I was shot in the chest, a centimetre from my heart. I believe that if Castle hadn't pushed me over, I would have died right there. And you know how I repaid him? By ignoring his confession of love as I lay bleeding out on the grass, then sending him away when he came to see me in the hospital. But I couldn't have given him what he wanted then. I was so broken, I couldn't love anybody. . I wanted to give him all of me, healed and ready for my one and done. It's only now, almost a year later, that I think I am ready to tell him that I love him too, and to let him love me. But now, it's too late, because he has obviously given up waiting, and moved on."

Kate had been quietly crying as she was telling the story, and Colin moved over to put an arm around her shoulder, comforting her in a platonic way. He reviewed what she had told him, and could only come up with one way to encourage her to talk more. It was obviously what she needed, to get it all out and allow the emotion to release.

"Why did you push him away? He told you he loved you, and obviously you felt the same for him. I am pretty sure he would not have been expecting to jump into bed with you right then and there."

Kate shook her head. "I wasn't ready. I had just been shot, I was so weak, physically as well as emotionally, and I still had a boyfriend." She deliberately did not look at Colin when she said this, knowing it was another complication she had introduced.

"Josh was my way of getting over Castle when he left for the summer with his ex-wife on his arm, just before I was ready to confess I wanted to try a relationship with him. When he returned to the precinct and he was still with her, I figured I had lost my chance forever, and I agreed to a second date with Josh. He couldn't break my heart, like Castle so easily could, because he never had it. He was always off saving the world, so it was convenient for me to be unavailable without actually having to be in a real relationship. Then I overheard Castle break things off with Gina, and I had a moment of elation, before I realised that he would just hurt me again if I let him in, because he would eventually get sick of me and move on to someone prettier, more emotionally stable."

Kate paused a moment, and then looked at Colin again. She could not remember being this open and truthful with anyone before, and it was a tribute to Dr Burke that she was able to summarise the events like this – and to the large amount of alcohol that had loosened her tongue.

"Are you sure you want to hear this? It's so messed up, and it's all my fault. Always too late."

"Kate, you have been bottling all this inside you for months, it seems, and that sort of stress is no good for anyone. Let it out, purge your system, and tomorrow you can hold your head high." He smiled at her, encouraging.

"Anyway, I wasn't ready, and I was so emotionally fragile that I knew that if I started something with him, I would ruin it, and I would lose him for good. I wanted to fix myself first, get back to what I was before the shooting, that kickass Detective he based Nikki Heat on. And I heal best alone. It is what I have always done, gone away to lick my wounds so no one would have to worry about me or take care of me."

She was silent for a minute, staring down at her hands, and preparing herself for the next confession.

"When I returned to the city, I sought him out and we had a conversation. I thought he understood then that I needed time to heal, to put my mother's case behind me, so I could have the relationship that I wanted. That's what I mean about him giving up on waiting. And then, just to make things even more interesting, my first case back I was confronted with a perp with a hand gun, and I froze. I was lucky that my other partners were there behind me to take him down. At the end of that case, I had the killer pointing a shotgun at me, but that time, I had Castle behind me, and he just kept saying 'you got this, you got this Kate' and I was able to arrest the guy and cuff him. Later, my therapist diagnosed PTSD. I have been working through panic attacks and hyper awareness for most of this year, although it has improved a lot. And now, a lot of our conversations are about Castle, and how I feel about him, and when I will be ready to have the sort of relationship that I want. Dr Burke – that's my therapist – says that I am not waiting, I am healing, but now it seems like I have taken too long."

Kate was all talked out, so she dropped her head on her arms. Colin rubbed soothing circles on her back, but again Kate was reminded of a big brother she never had, rather than a paramour. He gave her time to recover, and it was only when she lifted her head again, that he spoke.

"Kate, you have been through a lot that is true. I am not a therapist, and I will not dare give you advice of any type. One thing I can tell you is that when Castle was looking at you, while you were focussed elsewhere, there was something broken in his gaze. The way he acted towards you, and the emotion in his eyes, do not match. As a detective, you would have seen that, if you were not so deeply immersed in the situation. You need to be able to step back and look at it objectively, and you certainly won't be doing that after six rounds of cocktails. Let me put you in a cab home, Kate, with my thanks and best wishes for your future."

True to his word, Colin flagged a cab for her, allowed her to recite her address without listening in, and then handed over enough cash for the fare and a generous tip. He waved at her as the cab drove off, and then flagged down another cab for the airport.

Kate made her way to her bedroom after locking herself in, leaving all the lights off except her bedside lamp. She placed a bottle of water beside her bed with two advil for the morning, and only had enough energy to strip down bare before she dropped onto her sheets and into a dreamless sleep.

XXXXXXXX

Rick Castle was sitting in his study, nursing a half glass of scotch, warm now after he poured it when he got home an hour ago. He had a lovely dinner with Jacinda, the food was great, but the conversation was sorely lacking. Yes, she had helped with the diplomatic case, but it seemed that was the extent of her knowledge or interest in his world – except for the things he could provide for her, like trips around town in his Ferrari, lunches and dinners at exclusive restaurants, dancing at the most popular clubs. She was certainly the fun and uncomplicated bottle blonde bimbo type that the old Castle had favoured, but now she was not enough, because every woman was compared to Kate Beckett, and of course found wanting. She had ruined him for any other woman, damn her. But of course it wasn't really her fault, Rick knew, because he had never asked her to. He had wormed his way into her life, against her wishes, and kept coming back each time she pushed him away. Even now, when he had caught her in her lie, he found it really hard not to be around her, even when actually being in her presence was agony, knowing that she didn't – would never – love him like he loved her.

So he had thanked Jacinda for her time and entertaining company, and packed her in a cab after their meal, being clear that he would not see her again. At least she was smart enough to get the hint, because she kissed him on the cheek, and only said 'be well, Rick' as she left. Then he had come home to an empty loft, intent on drowning his sorrows, but even that was denied him, remembering Jim Beckett.

He was shaken out of his reverie by the buzz of his phone, which he had put on silent as he left the precinct, in case Beckett tried to call him and ask to talk again. He pulled it out of his Jacket pocket, carelessly draped on the back of his chair, and saw that it was her. No, he couldn't face her right now, couldn't talk to her, because he would cave and tell her exactly how he felt, beg her to forgive him for being distant, and like a kicked puppy settle for any part of her life he could have. He pressed decline hoping she would get the hint, although if it was urgent, she may leave a message. He put his phone face down on the desk, leaving it on silent, and took his glass to empty and clean in the kitchen. On his return, he turned all the lights off, and went to bed without a glance in that direction. Whatever it was she wanted, it could wait until the next day, when he had built up a bit more immunity to her magnetism.

Rick was woken early the next morning, having had a restless night, by the front door of the loft slamming. Obviously his mother had a great night, and was doing her usual flamboyant walk of shame. There was no chance he would get back to sleep with all that noise going on, so he got up and showered, then proceeded to make breakfast for his ladies. Then he thought he may do some writing, although his muse had been uncooperative since the bombing case. That led him to remember the call he declined the night before, so he checked his phone, and sure enough there was a voicemail message from her.

The first thing he heard was a man's voice, with a British accent, and knew immediately that she must have gone out for drinks with Hunt after all. There was no greeting from Beckett, so he wondered if she had butt dialled him by mistake, or just wanted to torture him with her date with another man, and he was about to delete the message when she finally spoke. He was stunned by her words, and actually had to rewind the message to the start in an effort to understand the conversation.

"OK, Kate, I know you didn't accept drinks with me as your first choice, I saw the way you looked at him when you first turned me down. So do you want to tell me what's really going on?"

"No."

"Sometimes it's good to talk to a stranger, you know, one who has no vested interest in either party. And while yes, I do find you attractive and would happily spend the evening with you in private, I can see that you are not really here with me. You have listened to me mourn Naomi, now let me lend you my ear for a while."

"He shadows me for his books. He based the character of Nikki Heat on me. When he first started, almost 4 years ago now, I was irritated. He was a complete jackass, this millionaire playboy writer who obviously just wanted to get into my pants. I turned him down, of course, I was not going to become just another notch on his bed post. But then as he continued to follow me, I started to see another side to him – the loving father, the supportive son, the caring friend. He spent $100,000 for a chance to catch the man who killed my mother. He arranged and hosted a gala fundraiser for an Education Fund for young lawyers in my mother's name. He has risked his life right alongside mine more times than I care to admit. And somewhere along the way, he wormed his way into my heart, despite me trying to push him away with harsh words, and dating other men. And then in May last year I was shot."

"What?"

"Yeah. You probably think I am over it, judging by what you have seen of me, but I am still struggling. You are probably the first person outside my therapist I have been able to talk to about it openly. I was shot in the chest, a centimetre from my heart. I believe that if Castle hadn't pushed me over, I would have died right there. And you know how I repaid him? By ignoring his confession of love as I lay bleeding out on the grass, then sending him away when he came to see me in the hospital. But I couldn't have given him what he wanted then. I was so broken, I couldn't love anybody. I wanted to give him all of me, healed and ready for my one and done. It's only now, almost a year later, that I think I am ready to tell him that I love him too, and let him-

Rick cursed out loud when the message ended. Of all the worst possible places for the recording to give out! He listened again and again, hearing not just Kate's words but her tone of voice, so defeated and dead. There was a slight slurring, too, which meant she was probably tipsy, and that explained why she may have opened up to the brit. She had been seeing a therapist, too, she said, and while that was news to him, it explained a lot of things. She had been more open in their communication of late, but there were still times of the week she disappeared without telling anyone where she went.

Rick was still angry at Kate for lying to him, but her recorded confession had gone a long way to explaining her reasoning, faulty as it was from his point of view. He didn't want to make any more mistakes where she was concerned, so he took the time to review the recording a couple more times, and write out his feelings about everything he had heard, and everything he had thought when he heard her confession about her shooting to that suspect.

He was glad that the little touches she had been gracing him with, the small secret smiles she saved just for him, were not figments of his imagination, or deliberately meant to lead him on, keep him at heel like a good puppy, as he had suspected when he first found out. But the question still remained, how to take them from where they were right now, separated by his immature behaviour, buried by misunderstanding and misery, to talking together and moving forward as a couple. His first instinct was to storm right over to her apartment, bang on her door until she let him in, and confront her with the recording. He knew how she reacted to conflict however, and if she felt she was not in control, she would go on the offensive and that would only end badly for both of them. And while he had the benefit of knowing how both of them felt about the other now, Kate thought he had stopped loving her – as if that was ever possible – and so he had to let her know that he still felt the same about her, as she had revealed she felt about him.

In the end, he remembered Montgomery's advice just before his wedding anniversary – Just keep showing up – and decided that he would return to the precinct, with coffee and bear claw in hand, make amends for his recent behaviour and work to restore the equilibrium of their partnership that he destroyed with his misunderstanding. He would also arrange a time and place for the two of them to speak where he would tell her about the recording, and hope that she could confess her lie. He remembered he still had something he was keeping from her, and it was time for them both to be totally honest with each other to progress their relationship to the next level, as they both wanted and were finally ready to.

He planned his wardrobe for the next day carefully, choosing his favourite blue shirt, knowing that Kate's gaze lingered longer when he wore those, and a charcoal suit that was perfectly tailored to accent his frame. With all his preparations complete, he went to sleep for an undisturbed 10 hours – the most sleep he had gotten in weeks.

XXXXXX

Kate struggled through her day off, having not enough to distract her from her thoughts. Her home was sparkling, every surface buffed and shined, all washing up to date, she had even gone shopping and had real food in her fridge and pantry, but she still had too much time to think about how badly she had messed up her chances with Castle, losing him just when she finally thought she was ready for more. She recognised now that her reasons for waiting were weak; sure she needed to heal from the shooting, but Castle would never have forced her to do anything she was not ready for, and he would have been right by her side, helping her, encouraging her, just as he had been for the last 3 years. And in her hesitation, in her stubbornness to do it all on her own and prove how independent she was, she had lost the one man who would never restrict her independence. These morbid thoughts haunted her throughout the day and the next night, so when her brain woke her with a nightmare again at 4 am, she decided there was no point in tossing and turning. She got up and went for a long run, then showered and dressed, heading to the precinct before 7 am.

She was the first in the bull pen, but was soon joined by Esposito, who looked at her strangely for a moment then continued to his desk. Ryan was in a bit later, but still early for his shift, so all three of them were working hard on paperwork when Captain Gates walked in at 8:30. She confirmed they had to get case documents to the DA's office for the upcoming trial, then headed out for a round of meetings at 1PP.

Kate was so engrossed in reviewing witness statements that she didn't hear the elevator ding, and didn't realise there was an extra person on the floor until a takeout coffee cup and bear claw were placed on her desk. Then she looked up into the gorgeous blue eyes of her partner, open and loving once again. Her face immediately mirrored his smile, before she remembered he didn't love her anymore, so she mumbled thanks and took a deep drink of her coffee before bowing her head and hiding her disappointment behind her hair. But Castle just kept smiling, and sat down in his usual chair, pushing the bear claw towards her to make sure she understood it was hers. Both Ryan and Esposito were staring openly at him, but he ignored them for the moment, knowing it was Beckett who had to forgive him first.

When Castle actually sat down, Kate released a silent sigh of relief, as it seemed he was staying for a change, even if it was just for a little while. She felt the pastry bag next to her hand, and reached over, still not looking at him. She did notice that it was not from the same place as her coffee though. The best bear claws came from midtown, and it seemed Castle had gone out of his way this morning to bring her a bear claw from their favourite patisserie – which incidentally didn't usually open until 11am. The surprise must have been clear on her face, because she distinctly heard Castle's quiet chuckle, before he whispered 'only the best for you, detective', and sat back in his chair, leaving her to finish her meal in silence.

A thousand and one thoughts were racing each other through Kate's brain, and she wasn't sure about anything. Castle had come in before 9 this morning, with coffee and bear claw in hand, from their favourite places, obviously getting at least one of them to open early, and now he was sitting there like he meant to stay, smiling softly at her with his twinkling eyes. It was almost like it had been three weeks ago, before the Boylan Plaza bombing case, when they had been so close to stepping forward together. She was about to ask him what was going on, but she was interrupted by Ryan, asking about some files they needed for the DA. When he returned to his desk, Castle leaned forward again, and asked what they were working on.

"Oh. We have one of our older cases coming to court soon, so we need to get our ducks in a row for the DA. Gates wants to make sure our side is air tight, so we are reviewing all the statements and reports. Nothing exciting. She has actually taken us off the rotation for the next two days, so there won't be a murder to sink your teeth into until at least Wednesday." She wasn't trying to push him away, but he never hung around for paperwork, and he probably had more important things to be doing anyway.

"Great! Does that mean I can steal you away for lunch, Kate?"

She wasn't sure which was more surprising, the lunch invitation or the use of her first name. He had only called her Beckett the last couple of weeks, and then only if he couldn't avoid addressing her directly. And now this? But his face was open and his eyes were twinkling for the first time in three weeks, and her heart dared to flutter in hope, so she nodded. She didn't trust herself with words where he was concerned, certainly not when they were in the middle of the bull pen.

Castle nodded to acknowledge her, then stood up. She looked up at him in confusion, and he realised it looked like he was about to leave.

"I know I can't help with paperwork, detective, but I can keep all of you well hydrated and in good spirits, so I will make myself useful in the break room, if that is OK with you?"

"Sure, Castle. And thanks." Kate put as much feeling into that last word as she could, conveying her gratitude for the million and one things that he had done for her and the team. She really hadn't told him how grateful she was for all he did, and it was way past time to make amends on that, while he was still here. He didn't respond verbally, but the look on his face said Always, and another flutter overtook her heart.

True to his word, Castle kept all three of them supplied with coffee and chocolate, even running errands to the archive room and other departments as required. Luckily Gates had not returned before they were ready to leave for lunch, because she may not have approved of his involvement. The boys had taken Beckett's lead on their treatment of Castle, although there were a few sideways glances at him during the morning, and he expected he would be taken aside at some point for a chat. As long as he could sort things out with Kate, he was willing to put up with almost anything from her 'brothers'.

When she signalled her readiness for lunch, Castle helped her into her coat, being a gentleman escorting her to the elevator and out of the precinct. He took her arm around the block, and offered the single word 'Remys?' She nodded and they walked the rest of the way in silence, Rick debating how to start the conversation he wanted to have, and Kate wondering which alternate universe she had stumbled into, where she was walking arm in arm in Castle to lunch two days after he went to dinner with Miss Fun and Uncomplicated. At the alternate universe reference, she let out a quiet chuckle, but only answered his raised eyebrow with a quick shake of her head.

Once they were seated and had given their usual orders to the waitress – a new one, thank goodness, neither of them was up for one of the chatty regulars today – they stared at each other in silence, until Castle cleared his throat. He had been the one at fault most recently, so it was clearly his turn to make amends first.

"Kate, I asked you to lunch to apologise for the my recent behaviour." She was about to interject, probably to deny he had anything to apologise for, but he held up his hand, asking her to let him finish. She nodded her acceptance, but her hands were tightly clasped and he could see her knuckles were white, before she followed his gaze and quickly pulled them into her lap under the table.

"I have been a jackass the last couple of weeks, acting like a jerk towards you and the guys, bringing civilians into crime scenes and the precinct, and for that I am truly sorry. I never meant to offend any of you, or get you in trouble for my behaviour. I will tell the boys the same, but I know I owed my first apology to you."

"Why?" it was the only word Kate could get out at present, but she knew he would understand.

"I was in the observation room when you were interrogating Bobby Lopez. I heard you tell him you remembered every second of your shooting."

"Oh! Oh God!" Kate was stunned, she had no idea he had heard that, but she could immediately see what his reaction to that had been.

"I am sorry I didn't come to you and ask you about it, but you know that we don't do so well with direct communication. I assumed you didn't tell me because you didn't feel the same way, and the reversion to the playboy persona was my attempt at moving on from you. A failed attempt, as it happens, because there is no getting over you. And I am especially sorry for saying that fun and uncomplicated was what my life needed right now, because that is so far from the truth it's not funny. All I can say in my defence is that I was hurting, and a small bitter part of me wanted you to hurt as well. When I saw the pain in your eyes those words caused, I almost caved at your feet and begged forgiveness, but I still believed you had been leading me on, so I hardened my heart and left." The next part of his confession was about the recording, but he wanted to give Kate a chance to speak, should she want to respond to this revelation.

"Castle, I am so sorry you had to find out that way. It was never my intention to lie to you, and certainly not because I didn't feel the same way, but I made some bad decisions while I was in the hospital, and it seems that I have just compounded my error since then. I was trying to protect you, not hurt you, because I was a mess. I was going to come clean, tell you the truth, but.." Kate trailed off, not sure how to continue the sentence. Castle took his cue.

"I know."

"What?"

"You called me Friday night, or should I say, you butt dialled me." For the first time in this conversation, his smile reappeared.

"I didn't answer, but there was a message, that I listened to the next day, a part of your conversation with Hunt." He pulled out his phone and called up the voicemail app, handing it to her when it was ready to play.

Kate listened to the message, her face going paler by the second, and then a blush crept up her cheeks. She wasn't sure if she should be upset or grateful of this turn of events, that had obviously caused Castle to come back around. When the message ended, she handed back his phone. Before she could say anything, Castle spoke again.

"Kate, I love you. I never stopped loving you, although I did try, but only because I thought you didn't and wouldn't love me. I am sorry for making that assumption, but in my defence, we don't ever talk openly, we are masters at subtext and innuendo. I want that to end now. Will you give us a chance?"

Kate hesitated only a moment, to pinch herself, ensuring she was awake and not dreaming, before she nodded. Just as she opened her mouth, her phone buzzed, and she remembered she was due back at the precinct soon. She reached over and took Castle's hand, gazing into his beautiful blue eyes for a moment, revelling in their warmth once again, before she spoke.

"Yes. We need to get back to work, but will you come home with me tonight? We can order in, and talk openly with no interruptions." She had her heart in her eyes, hoping he could read how ready she was for this, with him.

"Absolutely! Lead the way, Detective."

Castle paid for their lunch, held her coat and helped her into it, and held the door open as she stepped out into the street. Kate took a couple of paces, and noticed he was not at her side. Castle was still standing holding the door, his face lost in contemplation. In truth, he was also a little surprised they were doing this now, and he shook his head to clear it, just as he heard her voice.

"You coming, Castle?"

"Always."

FIN

 _Prompt: Kate gets just tipsy enough with Colin to be completely honest with him about her feelings for Castle, whom she buttdials, so he hears the whole thing. Your choice whether Castle answers or whether he checks the voicemail later._

 _Then she told me she was leaving it in my capable hands (?) I hope I did it just for you, Lou_


End file.
